Held every four years, the Winter Olympics pays tribute to
the greatest sports practiced on snow and ice, from alpine skiing to ice hockey.
Canada has been the proud host of the Winter Olympics twice now, but this year
the torch has been handed over to China, who will host the 19-day competition
from February 4.
For sports betting fans, there are a whole host of exciting online betting
options to choose from. In our guide, we’ll take you through how to bet on
the Winter Olympics, from how odds work to best bets.
Enjoy a safe & fun experienceWe only list fully licensed and regulated sites.
How to bet on the Winter Olympics
So, you’ve decided to place a bet on the Winter Olympics. First up,
you need to pick a site (choose from our list of recommended sportsbooks above) to get started.
Go straight to the 'Sign Up' button – it should be fairly easy to find on the operator’s homepage.
Fill in the registration form with your personal details and info.
At this point, you may be asked to provide security questions and answers to give your account added protection.
Create a username and password.
If you have a promo code for a welcome bonus, now is the time to enter it when prompted.
Agree to the sportsbook’s T&Cs, and don’t forget to verify your age.
An introduction to the Winter Olympics
To get you started with Winter Olympics betting in Canada,
we’ve put together some of the key facts about the globally popular event:
After the success of re-establishing the
Summer Olympics, a winter version was thought up and first held in 1924
Only sports that are played on snow or ice can be part of the Winter Olympics
Canada, as noted above, has twice hosted the Winter Olympics. Calgary in Alberta
was chosen in 1988 and Vancouver in British Columbia for the 2010 Games
Until 1992, the Summer and Winter Olympics were held in the same year at
four-year intervals
In order to space out Olympic events more, the Winter Games were moved to two
years through a Summer cycle starting in 1994
The United States is the only nation to have hosted four different Winter Olympics
Sports can be added or removed from the Winter Olympics calendar as per
the International Olympic Committee (IOC) selection policy
How Winter Olympics odds work
Before placing a bet on Olympic skiing or bobsledding,
it’s crucial that you’re fully up to speed with how Winter Olympics odds work.
The first thing you should know is that the most popular sports (more on those below)
will be priced up on betting sites.
Let’s work through a typical example:
Canada
2.10
United States
2.75
In this instance, Canada are playing the US at ice hockey –
hardly surprisingly given both countries have representation in the NHL.
You can see that Canada are the clear favourites to win as their price is smaller.
If you were to wager C$10 on them, you would win C$11, with the total payout being C$21.
Meanwhile, the US are the betting underdogs. For every C$4 you stake, the return is C$11 – C$7
of which is profit.
Ties can also occur, but at the Winter Olympics, an ice hockey match may
need to have a winner say if it’s for a gold medal.
In this example, we have shown the odds in the decimal format, as this is
the most common and easiest format to compare prices. Of course, you may also
see odds displayed in the American moneyline system, while some bookmakers
may prefer to use fractions.
Have a go using our odds calculator to see the different odds types and to
calculate potential winnings.
Popular Winter Olympics bets
There are many different ways you can bet on the Winter Olympics. If you’re not new to sports betting, you should already be familiar with many (if not all) of these bet types.
Moneyline
Like in sports betting, the moneyline bet simple involves you picking a winner –
in the case of the Winter Olympics, the winner of an individual sport or team event.
To know which team or sport is the favourite and which is the underdog, simply look for the symbol –
if there’s a plus sign (+), it’s the underdog, whereas a minus sign (-) denotes the favourite.
Point spread
Also known as handicap betting, you’ll find examples of this kind of bet in team sports
such as ice hockey at the Winter Olympics. In a point spread bet, you’re wagering on the
point margin, set by sportsbooks, between two teams. The favourite must win by a certain
number of points, while the underdog can lose by fewer than that same number of points, or win outright.
Totals bet
In the Olympics, a totals bet looks at the total number of gold medals each country
will win. The sportsbook will set the number and then you have to determine whether the nation
in question will win ‘over’ or ‘under’ the set number given.
There are also head-to-head bets, whereby two nations are pitted against each other, and you
have to decide which one you think will win more gold medals.
Futures betting
In the run up to the Olympics, sportsbooks will begin releasing a whole host
of futures betting options for excited punters. One of the most popular is betting on
which country will win the most gold medals. Small tip, it’s worth betting on this market sooner
rather than later as the odds will only get smaller as the event draws nearer!
Parlays
Rather than placing just one bet, parlay bets allow you to make multiple bets in the same wager.
You can use different bet types, including moneyline, point spread and totals, as well as place bets on
teams across different sports. The more picks you have, the bigger the payout will be, but be warned –
the risk is far greater, as if just one pick loses, then the whole bet is lost.
Props
When it comes to Olympics prop bets, or proposition bets, sportsbooks tend to go all out.
You can bet on events happening during the competition as well as away from it, such as how many medals
a country or individual will win, or even something as obscure as whether a certain athlete will wave at
the podium.
Live betting
You can now place bets on major sporting events like the Winter Olympics while
the sport is actually happening.
What’s great about this market is that it allows you to take advantage
of changing odds while you’re watching. Lookout for ice hockey live betting odds
among others during the Winter Games to enhance your experience of seeing the action unfold.
Popular Winter Olympics sports to bet on
Now that you’ve got an understanding of how odds work and
the different bet types, the next step is choosing which sport to bet on.
If you’re new to Olympics betting, or even sports betting in general,
we’d recommend betting on the sports that you know rather than those that you
don’t – knowledge is king in sports betting, after all!
Ice hockey
As noted above, Olympic ice hockey is a very popular sport for Winter Olympics betting in Canada.
You can bet on individual match winners or who will win the gold medal.
Points spread and total goals markets are also available on ice hockey as standard.
Remember, futures betting sits side by side with wagers like these.
Eg:Canada to beat the United States
2.10
Figure skating
Futures betting should be available on which individual or couple will win gold in
their respective disciplines.
Eg:Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean to win the pairs ice dance
5.00
Curling
Curling is a team sport where stones are slid across a sheet of ice. Brooms are
used to sweep the ice in front of a stone into a target made of concentric circles.
Although
a somewhat niche sport, curling is curiously exciting and futures betting should be available on
the competing countries.
Eg:Team GB to win
2.88
Skiing
The Winter Olympics doesn’t get more traditional than this. There are many
different types of skiing discipline and betting exists on alpine, cross-country and Nordic combined
events.
Eg:Deborah Compagnoni to win the women’s giant slalom
2.50
Snowboarding
As with skiing, there are several different events you can bet on at the Winter
Olympics when it comes to snowboarding, including parallel, half-pipe, cross and slopestyle events.
Take your pick.
Eg:Shaun White to win the men’s half-pipe
3.25
Biathlon
Combining cross-country skiing and rifle shooting sounds like something out of an
old James Bond film. The biathlon is a very popular Winter Olympics event, though, and there are many
different versions of it.
Sprints, pursuits, relays and mass starts are all held alongside
individual disciplines. Biathlon betting is surprisingly lively during the Winter Games.
Eg:Martin Fourcade to win the men’s pursuit
2.38
Ski jumping
When it comes to ski jumping, there’s the normal hill and the large hill. The
further you jump, the more points you get. Jumpers compete as individuals and as a team for their
country.
Wind assistance can have a huge hand in this sport, and that’s always something to
think about when betting on it.
Eg:Kamil Stoch to win the men’s individual large hill
3.75
Bobsleigh and skeleton
Like the luge, hurtling downhill in a bobsleigh or skeleton can give the sportsmen
and women who do it a real adrenaline rush. Crews can be up to and including four people. The aim is
to make yourself or collectively as streamline as possible.
Whichever individual or crew makes
it down the course fastest wins. You should find plenty of skeleton and bobsleigh betting during the
Winter Olympics.
Eg:Canada to win the two-women bob
7.00
Winter Olympics betting bonuses
One thing you should definitely getting when engaging with Winter Olympics betting are
bonuses. Broadly speaking, there are three different types available to
you:
Welcome bonus
A welcome bonus is more or less what is says on the tin: something that incentivizes you for
joining a betting site
It’s practically a universal expectation that sportsbooks will offer you something for signing
up
All the best Winter Olympics betting sites have these, but make sure you understand the terms
and use a promo code if needed to get it
Enhanced odds
Enhanced odds, also called price boosts or flash odds, give extra value on an anticipated
outcome
Unlike welcome bonuses, these should be available to both new and existing customers of a
betting site
Such enhanced odds may only be available for a limited time, so you need to get your bets on
quickly
VIP club
If you regularly place wagers on a certain betting site, many now want to reward your loyal
custom through a VIP Club
Provided you opt in and meet the terms by placing a number of qualifying bets in the specified
timeframe, you can get weekly bonuses
A VIP Club isn’t as exclusive as it sounds. What’s great about them is they’re open to both
new and existing customers prepared to bet regularly
Winter Olympics betting apps
One of the major developments in gambling of recent times is the advent of mobile betting.
The huge benefit of mobile gambling is that it enables gamblers to place their bets on the go,
with the majority of sportsbooks now offering dedicated apps which can be downloaded for
both Android and iOS devices.
These apps are similar to the mobile version of the sportsbook, but give you an even more
streamlined gambling experience, making it as easy and convenient as possible to place a bet.
How we review the best Winter Olympics betting sites
A safe and secure gambling environment so you can bet with confidence
Bonuses for signing up and other offers to keep you coming back for more
Helpful customer service that’s available around the clock and in many forms
Great choice of Winter Olympics odds so you can bet on all the action both before it
starts and live
Fully licensed sites which have got the gambling authorities’ seal of approval
Winter Olympics 2022 info
You can find a full breakdown of the latest news, info and schedule on the Olympics site,
but here are the essential facts:
Dates of event: February 4-20, 2022
Location: Beijing, China (at various venues)
No. of events: 109
No. of sports disciplines: 15 across seven sports (biathlon, bobsleigh, curling, ice hockey, luge, skating and skiing)
How to watch: CBS Sports site & app, Radio-Canada Sports site & app, CBS Gem, ICI TOU.TV
The Winter Olympics 2022 will take place from February 4-20, 2022, in Beijing.
It is the first city to host both the Summer and Winter editions of the Olympics.
The Winter Paralympics will take place from March 4-13.
How can you watch the Winter Olympics in Canada?
Unfortunately, due to Covid-19 restrictions, only spectators who live in
mainland China will be able to attend this year’s event. But, you can still catch all the
action at home via the CBC Sports and Radio-Canada Sports sites, the CBC Sports and Radio-Canada
Sports apps, as well as the free CBC Gem and ICI TOU.TV streaming services.
Are any countries boycotting the Games?
This year’s event has been rocked with controversy as several countries,
including Canada, the US, Australia and the UK, have announced a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Games due to
China’s record on human rights. This means government officials will not be attending any ceremonies or events.
No country has yet announced it will be boycotting the event completely, ie by not allowing its athletes to compete.
How do you bet on the Winter Olympics?
Winter Olympics betting in Canada is just the same as everywhere else.
Visit one of the recommended sportsbooks we’ve listed above, select the sport you want to
bet on during the Games, then add the bet you want to place to your slip. Now enter your
stake and confirm your wager.
Which sports are the most popular for Winter Olympic bets?
These sports, in particular, are popular for Winter Olympics betting:
Ice hockey
Figure skating
Curling
Skiing
Snowboarding
Ski jumping
Bobsleigh and Skeleton
What are the best bets?
Some of the most popular types of bets at the Winter Olympics include the moneyline,
totals bets and futures bets. Check out how these bet types work
further up the page.
What is Winter Olympics live betting?
Certain Winter Olympics sports, notably ice hockey, feature live betting opportunities.
This means sportsbook traders price up odds while matches are in-play reacting to what’s happening.
Is Winter Olympics betting legal in Canada?
You bet. Gambling on both the Summer and Winter Olympics is completely legal in Canada.